Rugby

Amenoni Nasilasila takes final DHL Impact Player Award of 2017

Key Takeaways

  • New Zealand move to the top of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings after beating Argentina 38-14 in Cape Town.
  • Fiji’s Amenoni Nasilasila earns the DHL Impact Player Award with outstanding tackling.

After last week’s tie for the DHL Impact Player Award in Dubai, a clear winner emerged in Cape Town: Amenoni Nasilasila topped the weekend’s standing with a total of 60 points, propelled by his 23 tackles and 24 carries.

Nasilasila’s Fiji squad finished fifth in the tournament, and came close to upsetting hosts South Africa in the quarterfinals. Fiji started out that match with a 14-0 lead, and the two teams traded the lead back and forth until the end, when South Africa eventually won by five.

South Africa went on to lose to eventual champs New Zealand.

Another team facing elimination in the quarterfinals was Canada, but their fifth-place finish also contained excellent individual performances. Directly behind Nasilasila and his 60-point performance in the DHL Impact Player Award standings for Cape Town were three Canadians: Justin Douglas (47), Harry Jones (46), and Connor Braid (43).

Jones is third in the overall standings behind Nasilasila and last week’s co-winner of the DHL Impact Player Award, South Africa’s Seabelo Senatla.

For the winning All Blacks Sevens team, the tournament started off on the wrong foot with a loss to the US in pool play, but the squad was able to regroup on day two to end up on top of the podium.

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series returns in 2018 with the next event in Sydney on January 26-28.

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